Hell's Reject
by LeFay Strent
Summary: She's been injured, dishonored, and cast out of Hell. She has no place left to go. Setting out to find her purpose, Nari, a Bakeneko, discovers that her exile may be just the beginning of her troubles. And why do a certain pair of brothers remind her of a past she's long forgotten? characterXOC
1. Chapter 1

**This fic is dedicated to AnimeVamp1997 who asked me to write this after she won my contest. AnimeVamp gave me the basic idea of a Bakeneko story and me and my friend Taylor developed the plot of the story. I will be writing this story while Taylor will be my editor for this.**

**CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT! Now that I've got this done I will be hosting another contest. I will have the rules posted at the bottom of my profile shortly after this is posted. I hope all of you check it out. ^_^**

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**Chapter 1**

_The rocky walls gleamed with the low light born from the antique torches surrounding the gathering. At the head of the circular room stood a long curved table on a raised platform, the wooden surface so clean the ones sitting at it could see vague reflections of themselves. Sitting on the platform were the seven minor lords of the underworld who ruled under the lord of Hell, Lucifer. Each of them was a Master, the leading demon of their sector. They were called Masters because they were the best, the elite, and the only way to replace one of them was a match to the death. Few even dared to challenge them due to how powerful they were. They ruled all of demon kind, set the rules, and punished those that disobeyed them on behalf of Lucifer. To go against them meant certain death…_

"_We have reached a decree," one of the seven spoke._

_I stiffened in my kneeled position. Two guards were stationed by my sides, holding chain leashes that bound my neck. Ordinary chains could have snapped under my strong, capable hands. These chains were not ordinary, having been infused with sealing talismans that rendered me weak and at the mercy of everyone around me. Had these been ordinary chains, it would not have mattered anyway. There were too many guards surrounding the tribunal for me to dispose of. And let's not forget the Masters. To them I would be nothing more than a new born babe, unable to fight or escape them. This situation did not bode well, especially because I knew what my sentence would be. Without a doubt they would execute me._

"_You willfully disobeyed direct orders. Such an action is inexcusable and punishable by death…However, it has been agreed that you are not even worthy of that. You are hereby exiled to the mortal world."_

Nari lifted her eyelids sluggishly, peering up into the brooding storm clouds that cried over the grassy land. Her clothes were soaked to her skin, though the cold wetness meant little to her. The memories of what happened occupied her mind and brought forth unbidden anger. For a brief moment, Nari allowed herself to vent her frustration. In one smooth motion she stood and swerved to punch the tree she had been leaning against. The bark cracked under her fist, leaving a dent from her blow. Not even a day ago a move like that would have obliterated the tree altogether. She should have expected how weak she had become.

Forgetting about the tree, Nari glanced down at her tail. She held the once forked appendage gently as she considered her current state. Nari was a bakeneko, a demon that had once been a cat. When a cat becomes powerful enough they transform into a bakeneko, appearing to be human but with altered features. In exchange for their newfound abilities, their memories of life as a cat were erased.

Feline ears sat perched upon her head, her red eyes bore slit pupils, fangs inhabited her mouth, and her tail had the usual fork…or used to anyway. When the Masters had exiled her and sent her to the mortal world they had been sure to weaken her by cutting off part of her tail. This rendered strength her barely above a human being and Nari wasn't even sure if any of her former powers remained. She felt too exhausted to verify this.

"_Such an action is inexcusable and punishable by death…However, it has been agreed that you are not even worthy of that."_

Nari growled as the memory resurfaced but she kept herself in check. She had never been one for emotions, let alone showing the few she did feel. But anger was something she felt easier than other emotions, even if she did hide it well. To Nari, emotions were useless, irrational, and human. Not like her. She wasn't sure if that was just her personality or being a bakeneko. She hadn't met many others of her kind, but for other demons they were more…willing to experience certain emotions. For most, it was either pleasure from a kill or fury when defied. As for Nari, they didn't come so naturally to her and it had never concerned her.

But this angered her greatly. How dare they say she was unworthy! Nari was a fierce warrior, able to cut down many opponents by herself and even face some upper-level demons that would have measly imps cowering in fear. The least they could have done was send her to her death with her honor, not strip away her powers and leave her stranded in the mortal world. Nari had never cared much for life in Hell but at least she knew her place in life. Now, where was her place? What was her purpose? What would she do? Live out the rest of her existence in the mortal world? She had spent more time in Hell, true, but she had visited the mortal world when on various missions. Human life was vastly different than that of the demons dwelling in Hell's abode, but Nari felt no attachment to this place. In fact, she had no real attachment to her previous home either. But at least she had a place there. And now, being Hell's reject, where would her place be now?

Nari gazed up once again into the cloudy sky, letting the drizzle of water drops land on her face.

* * *

"How much farther is it?" Ed complained.

Al sighed, "If you're tired we can take a break."

"I'm not tired," he grumbled. "I just want to get there already and out of this stupid rain."

Al shook his head at his brother's impatience. He had been in the same grumpy mood ever since they left the train station. The train they were supposed to transfer to had experienced some unexpected malfunctions and wouldn't be fixed for a couple of days. The Elric brothers didn't have days; they had to get to Central by this afternoon to see General Mustang.

_General_ Mustang. Yes, the Flame Alchemist had been promoted to a General after…that day. The day that changed everything. When the gate between the two world's had opened and Edward had come flying in on a mechanical contraption he called a plane. On that day, the soldiers of Amestris, including Mustang, Ed, and himself came together to defeat the Thule Society. Afterwards, they destroyed the connection between the worlds so that history could never be repeated. And after two long years of searching for Ed, Al finally was able to return home with his brother. They stayed with Winry for a while before Ed decided to return to the military. Al would have been firmly against it, had Amestris not changed so drastically in the past few years. A position in the military was now looked highly upon after the wars between the surrounding countries had ceased. Edward had a desire for travel and was never one to sit idly around. So when Ed became a State Alchemist yet again, Al stuck with him just like back in the old days. When Al had first woken in his ten-year old body he couldn't remember the past four years spent in the suit of armor he had been sealed in. Now, three years later, Al had regained his memories of that time, slowly but surely. So now, even though he was physically thirteen, he had the mental state of a sixteen year old. And, despite being only thirteen, he was still taller than his nineteen year old brother.

"Hey, I think that's the town," Ed exclaimed, rousing Al out of his thoughts.

Al looked up to see a small town on the horizon. The population may not be high, nor the town very large, but there was a train station with trains running back and forth to Central every day. Luckily, this place was in walking distance so they could make it to Central on time. Now all they had to do was take the next train out and they would be at Central within the next couple of hours.

"YAHOO!" Ed cheered, taking off down the path.

"Brother! Wait for me!" Al called, running after him.

"Get a move on, Al! I'm starved!" Ed shouted back to him.

He shook his head. His brother was always thinking of food. They ran until they were about halfway there. That's when Ed suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Al asked as he stopped beside him, panting slightly.

In answer, Ed pointed towards a tree. No, not a tree. Al had almost missed the figure standing underneath the sparse canopy of leaves. She had been so still that Al hadn't realized she was there. The woman was young but somewhat older than Ed and taller than Al. Her lean body was covered in black baggy pants with what looked like combat boots underneath and a dark red top with a black and grey short sleeved shirt underneath. Her raven hair fell in tangled waves all the way to her waist. With her hair color and dark ensemble it made her pale skin ghostly.

The woman had been staring up at the cloudy sky. Noticing that she was no longer alone, she turned to look at them. Al gasped, but not because of how beautiful she was. Yes, she had a heart shaped face, almond shaped eyes with thick eyelashes, and other sharp features that made her striking. Even the horizontal scar that ran over her left eye did not detract from her beauty. But what made her the most striking was her eyes. They were a deep, blood red. She appeared part Ishvalan, part Xingese, and part something else. Overall, she looked exotic and obviously not your typical Amestrian.

As she stared at them contemplatively, Al noticed the cat ears on her head.

"You have kitty ears!" Al squealed with joy, the only thing stopping him from hugging the woman was fear that she would run away.

Her only response was to frown at him.

"That's weird," Ed commented.

"Brother!" Al reprimanded him, smacking his head. "That's rude!"

"No it isn't! Regular people don't go around wearing a cat getup."

"Maybe she likes looking like a kitty," Al suggested. "I think it's cool."

Ed rolled his eyes, "Of course you do."

Nari grunted, the two human boys turning their gazes on her again to find her glaring at them. The shorter one was older, had golden eyes and hair that he wore in a ponytail, and his clothes were black covered by a long red trench coat. The taller, younger one had short sandy hair, grey eyes, and wore a similar trench coat only blue but with black clothes underneath as well. Their bickering were only fuel to the flames of her ire. She wished them to be gone at once so that she could think in peace. "I have not the patience for this, for I am presently not in the best of moods. Leave at once before I silence you myself."

Her threat fell on deaf ears as their eyes strayed to her head. In her irritated state, her ears had flicked a couple of times.

"They _moved_!" the brothers shouted in unison as they jumped back a step.

Nari raised an eyebrow. She knew that humans were simple minded but this was just plain idiotic. One moment they were discussing her ears and the next they were astounded by them. Nari wasn't sure what to make of them.

"That's not possible!" Ed said.

"I thought they were fake!" Al agreed.

Nari crossed her arms, "I assure you they are quite real." She noticed how they saw the quick swish of her tail and their surprise increased.

"There's got to be some trick to it. Some specialized costume," Al concluded.

Nari crossed her arms and ignored them, bored with their pointless musings.

Ed didn't like them being ignored. Being stubborn as always, he approached her. He reached out and poked one of the ears, watching it twitch. With inhuman speed, the cat eared woman snapped her leg out and sent Ed flying.

"Brother!" Al called, running over to where he landed.

"Damn, what the hell was that for?" Ed yelled at the woman.

Nari sent him a cold stare, "I will not tolerate your childish antics. Were I less generous you would have paid with your life. You will do well to remember that."

Ed stood up slowly, gazing at the woman curiously. The animal features, the unnatural speed and strength, and even the slit pupils…It all added up.

"You're a chimera, aren't you?" Ed guessed confidently. He hadn't seen one since before his stay in Germany. Never did he think he would see another again, let alone a human one. And yet, here this woman stood as some feline hybrid. Someone obviously had been misusing alchemy. The thought made Ed's fists clench as fire ran through his veins.

Nari chose not to answer him. It was more than apparent that she was not a chimera: a simple minded beast created by the types of humans that called themselves alchemists. Alchemy was a far more basic magic used by the humans. Demons like herself had no need for it. Come to think of it, Nari had never attempted alchemy before. She wondered if she could perform it now that her powers had been taken. She shrugged inwardly, not caring to waste time on the subject.

"So who created you? An alchemist from that town perhaps?" Ed questioned her.

"My life was born from the mother who birthed me, as all life is created." She was about to say that she was the same as she was then as she is now but an image flashed through her mind. An image blurred and yet managed to spur something within her. Serenity, that was what it was. She knew what it meant but had never experienced it…had she?

She shook her head as her temples throbbed. Those same reoccurring images again. They fascinated her. They felt familiar, almost like they were from a dream long ago. She knew nothing about them except that they were to blame for her current predicament. At the moment, she wanted nothing to do with them.

"Hey, wait. Where are you going?" Ed called to her as she began to walk away. He wasn't going to let her get away that easily. He wanted answers, damn it!

Nari reacted instinctively when a hand grasped her arm. She countered the grab, moving his arm to leave his abdomen unguarded. She swiftly struck the opening with her elbow.

Ed coughed as the air was forcefully pushed from his lungs. He would have fallen to his knees had the woman not kicked his jaw, sending him backwards. His head hit the rough ground and sent his mind reeling.

"Brother!" Al screamed. He clapped his hands and touched the ground.

The sound of hands clapping alerted Nari. She looked over to the younger to find his arms barreling towards the ground. The gloves on his hands had circles. Transmutation circles. That would make this child an alchemist, perhaps the older one as well. This didn't concern Nari greatly but since she had lost her powers she would have to be careful.

A giant earthen fist protruded from the ground, hitting Nari dead on. The blow knocked the wind out of her a bit but was relatively harmless. While the fist was still in motion, she dug her claws into the top and flung her body over.

Al had made a direct hit that should have stunned her, so he was surprised when the woman leaped over it and towards him. He focused himself and assumed a fighting stance. His brother was down and Al had to do whatever it took to keep the both of them safe.

Nari sliced downward with her claws but the boy avoided it by performing a cartwheel. He was spry, she would admit. But the next blow would not be so easily dodged.

Al settled back on his feet and went straight into an upper cut. The woman seemed to anticipate this and ducked out of the way, catching his wrist as she went. He cried out as pain shot up his arm.

Nari could have broken his arm then. She had it twisted behind his back and at her mercy. Instead, she chose to knock his legs out from under him and incapacitated him with a quick hit to the head.

"Stay away from him!"

Something flew towards her and Nari reacted accordingly. She leaned backwards to avoid what appeared to be the older boy's altered arm. A metal blade that must have been created with alchemy was attached to his arm. It was a nice try but Nari had speed on her side.

While she was still falling backwards she kicked her leg up, hitting his arm and throwing him off balance. Nari finished her flip backwards and rushed her opponent before he could catch his footing. She pounced on him, sending him to the ground. One of his arms was held by a firm knee as the other was held by her hand. She raised her free hand to give the final blow. The boy's eyes widened as her nails lengthened to claws.

But suddenly, she wasn't seeing the boy anymore. She saw a smiling face that beckoned to her with an offered hand. The smile gave her a sense of security and warmth, as well as longing.

Nari paused in her actions. The images again. Something about this boy had ignited them, if only for an instant. What did it mean? What was her subconscious trying to tell her?

The woman lowered her hand slowly. Ed was taken aback. Just a few seconds ago she looked ready to kill and Ed had thought that his life would end. But now she seemed to lose the will to fight. Not that he was complaining, but why?

Her ears lowered in an almost guilty way as she murmured, "I grow weary of this." And just like that, she stood and walked away from him. Ed gaped at her retreating figure, unable to comprehend her actions. She had him in the palm of her hands and she let him go? There's no doubt in his mind that she could have killed him but she chose not to. All Ed could think was, why?

Nari kept to the path that led towards the town. She did not like this at all. Her life had begun nearly a thousand years ago and she had lived in Hell, following orders whenever she received them. Rising in the ranks of power never appealed to her as she had found contentment in her niche. She had a _purpose_ and all was well. However, when the images began, so did her downward spiral.

The Bakeneko lost the little interest she had in her daily missions, but for awhile she continued to follow them. As the images came to her more frequently they brought about these…changes. She first noticed when she killed a mortal man. There had been so many deaths over her many years by her hand but somehow this one affected her. The blood on her hands, this insignificant human's blood, _bothered _her. Nari didn't know what it meant and did her best to ignore it. She didn't like it, whatever it was. But this progressed until she was faced with a tiny, human girl. Such a small, fragile thing she was, yet destined to become a prominent white mage. And when Nari's hand raised to claw out her throat, a twist in her stomach protested. The mere idea of having more blood on her hands was loathsome, and she couldn't fathom why that was. She had walked away, leaving the child for her comrades to deal with. Three steps out the door and the screams began, and as they did more of the images flashed before Nari's eyes. Before she knew it, Nari had run back inside and began tearing them to pieces. The little girl was already dead and this infuriated Nari. She fought her comrades but couldn't slay them all. Some escaped and soon after the Masters had learned of her betrayal. Thus, leading to her exile.

Nari thought back to the brothers she had just defeated. She could have killed them, but she had enough blood on her hands as it was. She did not desire for more. She had no qualms with this before those cursed images. They had made her become soft, and most unbecoming of a demon. That, perhaps was the reason that the Masters refused to execute her with her pride.

Those images though, they haunted her. They were familiar to her, as if memories from a past life… A part of herself she had forgotten long ago…

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**I hope you guys liked it! Obviously, this is post-CoS but Ed and Al remained on this side of the gate but still broke the connection. With this story being set after CoS it will give me and Taylor more freedom to write this. I'm not sure when the next update will be for this but I'll try to update when I can.**

**Don't forget to check about the contest! And review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoo! Finally got this updated. I've had this chapter done for over a week now but I just recently got Taylor to edit it for me. We've got some big plans for this story but the updates on this are still gonna be sporatic while I'm working on my other bigger stories. **

**Also, I think I kinda messed up what Al's age was in the last chapter. To set the record straight, Al is physically 14 but mentally 18. And Ed's 19. Just to make that clear.**

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**Chapter 2**

Edward watched the retreating form of the feline woman in a daze. The past few minutes were hard to process. It's not every day that he stumbled upon a chimera who snaps and nearly kills him and his brother only to walk away at the last second. Wait, his brother!

He set aside all thoughts of the chimera from his mind to attend to his brother. Ed rose from the ground, wincing at a couple sore spots, and hurried towards Al's limp form. He crouched beside the younger boy and was petrified for a moment. Had she…killed him? No, he was breathing. Thank the gate!

"Al! Come on. Wake up! Al!" Ed shook his shoulders.

"Mmm?" Al moaned as he sluggishly opened his eyes. His vision blurred but steadied as he took in something hovering above him, preventing the rain from pelting his face. "Brother?"

Ed smiled, relieved to see that he was okay, "Yeah, it's me. You worried me for a second. How bad are you hurt?"

Al thought about it. It was mainly his head and shoulder that throbbed painfully but he could live with it. "I'm okay. Where's that woman?"

In answer, Ed glanced moodily towards the town, "She left. And I'd say good riddance if we didn't have to find her."

"Find her?" Al repeated, puzzled.

Ed frowned and clenched his fist in front of his face, "Yeah! No one beats up Edward Elric or his brother and gets away with it! I'll show her who she's messing with!"

Al sweat dropped, "And here I was thinking you were just curious about how she became a chimera."

"…That too."

Al shook his head and stood up, dusting the dirt off his pants. It didn't do much good, what with the mud caked into the material. He sighed and decided that he'd just have to change clothes once they got to the dorms in Central.

"Come on," Ed told him, picking up their suitcase from where he'd dropped it and they resumed their march to the town.

"Brother, did she say anything else after I was knocked out?"

"Not really. Mostly she just kicked my ass," Ed grumbled. "But there is one thing that's bugging me. She had me right where she wanted me. She could have killed me but she just walked away."

"So maybe she's not that bad a person," Al suggested.

"You call beating people up 'not that bad'?"

"You forget that you beat people up too."

"Yeah, well I, uh…" Ed stammered for a decent defense. "At least I only do it when I have a reason too."

"But you've got to admit that you did provoke her," Al replied.

"What, are you defending her now? I thought you were on my side here," Ed complained while avoiding the accusation that the whole confrontation was his fault.

"I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind her actions," he explained. "If we find her again don't act like your usual self and be nice."

"What do you mean 'if we find her'? Of course we're gonna find her! And when we do I'll…" Then Ed realized what Al had implied, "HEY! Are you saying that there's something _wrong_ with my usual self?"

"Oh look, there's a bunny," Al smiled and pointed at a rabbit that hopped across the field surrounding the town.

"Don't ignore me!"

* * *

Nari trudged through the streets of the small town, the rain lightening to soft sprinkles on her skin. The townspeople she passed stared at her openly, whispering amongst themselves. Nari's lips twitched in amusement. After all, it was not common for a demon such as she to wander around the mortal world. Some did but only in human forms so that they may blend among the rest. Nari stood out, not that she cared. However, it would prove troublesome if they were to stand against her. She was not in the best of shape to ward them off.

_Curses_, she thought to herself. Her fight with the brothers had consumed more energy than she would have thought possible. A fight such as that would have been simple for her in the past. Now in her weakened state it proved to be more than she could handle. It was difficult to even walk straight, such was her exhaustion. Nari had only felt this rarely before, whenever she was faced with challenging foes. But that could be explained from injuries. Nari could understand the need to rest and heal. She did not understand how she had barely acquired a scratch and yet she felt inexplicably tired. An illness settled in her stomach and her mind dazed. Soon, it became too much for the bakeneko and she slumped to the ground.

_How pitiful I must appear_, she growled inwardly. She loathed how feeble her body had become and yearned for the power that had been stripped from her. At this rate she would perish in the middle of this street.

"What has become of me?" she wondered aloud. Nari could not fathom what plagued her. Was she dying? Was death reaching its bony hands out to her? "How ironic…Osiris…" she mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"Well look what we have here."

Nari reopened her eyes and glanced up at the speaker. It was the golden haired boy from before. And behind him stood his brother. She should have known her mercy would come back to haunt her. Now they would claim their vengeance as well as her life.

"We want some answers from you," he spoke again. Then his expression changed as he looked her over, "But first, what the hell are you doing lying in the middle of the street?"

"Brother!" the younger elbowed him. The older frowned at him but remained firm.

Nari sighed, "It seems I cannot even die in peace. Must you annoy me until the very end?"

"Why you-" the older roared.

"You're dying?" the other gasped in shock.

"It seems so," Nari told them. "My body has failed me. I can't find the energy to move, unconsciousness will swallow me shortly, and there is a strange thundering from the pits of my stomach."

They stared at her strangely.

"…you mean hunger?" the older asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hunger?" she repeated. "I am unfamiliar with the concept."

"Are you just trying to be difficult or are you really that stupid?"

"Brother!" the younger elbowed him again.

"Ow! Al, would you quit doing that? It hurts!"

"I'll stop once you stop being so insensitive," the one named Al responded. He turned to Nari and with a startling kindness in his gaze, asked, "Do you really not understand what 'hunger' means?"

Nari scowled, "I understand what it is. What I meant was that I am unaccustomed to it. I have never experienced it before, nor do I need to."

The older snorted, "Everyone's got to eat."

She narrowed his eyes at him, "Not I. My kind does…not need sustenance to prosper." Nari rested her head on the ground once more. Even speaking was challenging now. "It's…impossible. I need not…" She gave up speaking to them. It did not matter anyway. Talking to these humans was wasting the last vestiges of her strength. She would not try to explain to them that most demons did not have the need to eat or drink. They would pull energy from the Earth itself or from other beings or, for a bakeneko such as herself, by meditation. Despite this, many would still give in to gluttony and eat to satisfy their desire. Nari had never done so. Never needed to. And she would not now…unless, the stripping away of her powers had reduced her to such a need. Perhaps that would explain it.

Ed and Al stared at the woman lying face down on the ground. Most of what she was saying wasn't making any sense and they were wondering if she was trying to pull some trick on them. But why would she try to convince them of something like never eating before?

"So, what should we do?" Ed scratched his head as he looked to his brother.

Al shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've never heard of a chimera not needing to eat before."

"It is…too much…for me," the young woman mumbled and seemed to stop breathing for a brief moment. The brothers weren't given enough time to react because immediately after her body began to glow and a low hum filled the air.

"What the hell is going on?" Ed asked aloud.

In answer, the woman's skin shone a bright red. The light forced the brothers to block their eyes. When the light died down they looked back to find something…unexpected.

"She turned into a kitty!" Al exclaimed, kneeling beside the woman-turned-cat.

Ed stood there blinking in disbelief, "Unbelievable." Instead of the woman lying in the street a full grown black cat laid there. He had seen human chimeras that could alter their form to appear more animal-like but an outright full transformation was unheard of. Just what transmutation was performed on her?

"Brother," Al called to him, bringing him out of his thoughts. "She's starving. What do we do with her? We can't just leave her here."

Ed crossed his arms, "It would serve her right." He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Al giving him a pleading look. All of Ed's walls crumbled to dust. He couldn't say no to that face. "Fine. We'll just have to bring her on the train to Central. But only because I want some answers!"

Al nodded happily and scooped her up gently. Cradling her in his arms, he cooed to her, "Don't worry, Miss Kitty. We'll take good care of you."

Ed glanced around at the few townspeople who had been watching the spectacle and still stared with wide eyes. He laughed nervously to them, "Hahaha, nothing to see here folks! Nope! Nothing at all!" Then he whispered to Al, "Come on. Let's just get out of here already."

They located the small train station fairly quickly and were lucky enough to board the train right before it departed. Barely any passengers were aboard and they were grateful for that. They found a spot to sit and Al began trying to feed the cat with torn off bits from a sandwich. It was a slow process but he managed. He figured that she was hungry, even if she didn't know it, and that was why she had passed out.

"Are we gonna tell the general about her?" Al asked.

Ed sighed, "I guess we'll have to. And even if we don't that bastard will probably find out about it anyway."

They rode in silence for a while, Ed just staring out the window while Al continued to feed the cat. Suddenly, Ed whipped his head around and stared at the cat.

"Brother?" Al asked.

"I just realized something."

"…And?"

"…Where did her clothes go?"

* * *

They both stared down at the cat with confused faces.

The ride to Central passed fairly quickly. Once they arrived, the Elric brothers carried their belongings to their issued dorm room along with a sleeping cat. As they entered their room the cat began to stir.

"Brother, I think she's waking up," Al called to Ed. He sat her down on the couch and both of them observed as the feline's body began to glow a soft red. It started off lightly at first and then grew to an unbearable brightness. When the light died a woman laid in the place of the cat.

Ed examined her with his eyes, curious as to what caused that weird light. Other chimeras never emitted anything similar when they transformed. Then again, none of them had ever fully turned into an animal either.

Nari's eyes fluttered. Upon waking, she discovered that her illness had subsided, for she felt renewed. Perhaps her rest had regained her strength? That explained that mystery, however, it did not inform her as to why she no longer rested in the street.

Puzzled, Nari scanned her surroundings and found the same pair of brothers. It clicked in her mind. They had brought her here. And worse they had witnessed her at her lowest: in her cat form. Humiliation filled her. She was ashamed that she hadn't the energy to retain her current form. How pathetic. Nevertheless, she was here now and the present was more important. Why had these boys brought her here? And why were they watching her with such odd expressions?

Nari frowned at them, "You are ogling. Why?"

"Well, it's not everyday you see someone turn into a cat," the older said.

"Sorry, we're just surprised is all," the younger explained apologetically.

"I suppose," she answered in a monotone. Nari sat up in a more formal position. "Why have you brought me here?"

"Cause we want some answers," the older replied fiercely.

Nari almost retorted something along the lines of 'no' (but more insulting) but hesitated when another image flashed within her mind. She saw the same man from previous visions. His expression was tight with fierceness and Nari felt a warmth blossom in her chest because of how proud she was.

_Proud?_ Nari asked herself. She closed her eyes and shook her head. How she hated these images. More than that she hated how intrigued they made her. She wanted to know the man's identity and how she knew him. But for now, she would like to learn why these brothers triggered the images.

Nari sighed, resigning herself to stay and answer their questions. She decided that conversing with them would help her discover more about them and perhaps more about the images. "What would you like to know?" she asked them guardedly.

Ed smirked. He couldn't believe she had caved already. That was easy! "That's more like it. First off, I want to know who created you. What was the alchemist's name?"

Nari's tail twitched in irritation. Not this again… "I explained to you already that I am not a chimera. No alchemist created me. I was born of a feline."

The older clenched his jaw and looked ready to start shouting but the younger one cut in, "How about we try again? My name's Alphonse Elric and this is my older brother, Edward Elric. What's your name?"

"Nari."

"…"

"What is it?" she asked, cocking her head. They appeared to be waiting for more.

"What's your last name?" Alphonse asked her.

"I do not have one," she replied simply.

"…"

"You think it strange?"

"Yeah," they answered in unison.

"To you, perhaps. However, where I hail from it is common. We mostly go by titles. I am known as, Nari, the mata bakeneko."

"Mata bakeneko," Edward pronounced it slowly. "What's that?"

"Translated it means 'forked monster cat'. Prior to coming here my tail possessed a fork in it. Though recently it was removed."

Edward crossed his arms, "So if you're not a chimera then what are you?"

Nari furrowed her eyebrows. Had she not just explained it? Did they require a more simple elucidation? "I am a bakeneko; a demon."

"Just because you're part cat doesn't mean you should think of yourself like that," Alphonse told her, sympathy clear in his eyes.

Nari shook her head, "When I refer to myself as a demon I am not degrading myself. It is what I am, just as the others are where I previously resided."

"And just where might that be?" Ed asked her. He was getting more and more interested by the second. Though, he remained suspicious of all she was telling him. He had to be because there had to be an ulterior motive behind her suddenly explaining this all to them when before she had been so uncooperative.

"The sixth sector of Hell, near the River Styx."

Ed and Al stared at her blankly. Then they turned their backs to her and huddled together to whisper.

"Al, is it just me or is this chick a little off her rocker?"

"Maybe she hit her head and has amnesia or something."

"Then why is she telling us this crap about being a demon from Hell?"

"I don't know, maybe she's mistaken?"

"She's delusional if you ask me."

"I assure you I am far from delusional," Nari called to them.

They both straightened up swiftly and turned to her with guilty faces.

"You…heard that?" Ed asked hesitantly.

"These ears of mine are not deaf," she said, pointing to the top of her head.

"Well, if you're not delusional then prove it. Prove to us that you are a 'demon'," Ed challenged her. He didn't believe her for a second and wasn't at all surprised by her answer.

"I am afraid I cannot. When I was banished from Hell they severed the fork of my tail. Now I am unsure if I have any of my powers left."

Ed scoffed, "Suuure."

"So why were you banished?" Al asked sweetly.

Ed glared at him, "Al, don't encourage her delusion!"

Nari ignored Edward and answered the more reasonable brother, "I went against the council. I was deployed with a squad to eliminate a little girl. The mission did not settle agreeably with me. I snapped and disposed of my comrades but the council discovered my transgression. I stood trial against the council consisting of the seven Masters who rule the underworld. Usually, such a crime would be punishable only by death. They did not grant me that sentence. Instead, they said I was not worthy of it and so they exiled me to the mortal realm. You two found me shortly after."

Ed could only roll his eyes at all of this but Al asked sadly, "What happened to the little girl?"

Nari's ears wilted as she averted her gaze, "Regretfully I was too late." Silence settled over them for a minute as Nari wondered not for the first time why the child's death bothered her so. Then Nari lifted her head and asked them, "Why do you wish to know this about me? It is more than idle curiosity, I am sure."

Edward shrugged, "It's not like we can just let a chimera wander around by herself."

"I am not-"

"Not a chimera. Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time," Ed waved her off. "I'm an alchemist, I look at everything from a logical standpoint. If you expect me to believe your bogus story you've got another thing coming. You've got no proof and your whole explanation is just too outrageous. I don't buy it."

"That is not my concern," she shrugged. "The belief of one human does not affect me."

At being brushed off like that Ed looked ready to explode when Al intercepted him, yet again avoiding confrontation. "Nari, why did you tell us all of this when before you were reluctant?" Al had hit the nail right on the head. People sometimes forgot that just because Al wasn't a State Alchemist like his brother that he was just as perceptive.

"It is a complicated reason and one that you more than likely would not care to hear but…" Here she paused, her face set with a contemplative look. "Something about the two of you reminds me of another."

"Who?" Al asked.

"I know not. And there in lies the problem." Nari glanced out the window, her thoughts racing as she came to a conclusion. "Since coming here I had lost sight of my purpose. Now, I think I know what I shall do with myself. These…memories…if that is what they are…they are not yet clear and are bothersome. Despite that, I think it would behoove me to learn of their meaning."

Nari stood and swiftly walked towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ed asked, scrambling after her.

"To discover my purpose," she answered and swept out the door. Ed lunged for the door as it closed, swinging it open and darting into the hall. But it was too late. Nari had already disappeared.

"Damn it," Ed muttered to himself.

* * *

Nari strolled down the halls of the large building, puzzling over what sort of place she was in. The building itself was enormous and seemed to go on forever. Nari had left the housing part of the establishment some time ago and now wandered through what looked like offices for the workers she passed. The people themselves were dressed nearly identical, all of them wearing blue uniforms. Many of them froze in their actions to view her passing but she paid them no mind. However, one uniformed worker approached her.

"Don't see many lovely ladies like you here at HQ," the blonde man said as he stopped in front of her, blocking her path. His stature was taller than her, his eyes were a light blue, and the scent of smoke clung to his body and uniform.

"Yes?" Nari asked him, wondering what he wanted with her.

His eyes flitted to her head, or more specifically, her ears, "Nice ears you got there. Are they real?"

"Of course," she answered affirmatively.

He chuckled, "Nice." He presumed that she was being sarcastic. Of course, he couldn't have known that she took everything literally. "I'm Lieutenant Jean Havoc. What's a pretty woman like yourself doing here?"

Lieutenant? Then that could only mean that these uniformed men and women were soldiers and this place was a military establishment. Nari knew she should be concerned but she could not help but be curious. She was to live the rest of her life here in the mortal realm. She might as well learn of it's governing systems and way of life.

"I am here to learn more," she answered the lieutenant.

Havoc smiled, "Then how about I give you the grand tour? I'm not busy so I've got some time."

"It would be much appreciated," she nodded. The lieutenant offered her his arm and Nari accepted his courteous gesture. Together, they walked through the halls of the Central command center.

* * *

**I really enjoy writing for Nari. So serious to the point it can be funny at times. XD**

**I'll try to not take so long with the next update. ;)**


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